Russian Foreign Minister willing to discuss Brittney Griner's swap with arms trafficker / News - Basketnews.com

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he's open to a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss a possible prisoner swap involving American WNBA star Brittney Griner and jailed American Paul Whelan.

Brittney Griner

Position:CAge:31Height:206 cmWeight:93 kgBirth place:Houston, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

The issue was raised by Blinken on Wednesday, although the American official did not offer details on the proposed deal but revealed that the deal includes a convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who has been at the top of Russia's prisoner exchange wish list.

"In the coming days, I expect to speak with Russian foreign minister [Sergey] Lavrov for the first time since the war began," Blinken revealed.

"I'm going to raise an issue that's a top priority for us, the release of Americans Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, who have been wrongfully detained and must be allowed to come home," Blinken continued.

"We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal," added the Secretary of State.

"I'm going to use that conversation to follow up personally and I hope to move us toward a resolution."

Speaking on a visit to Uzbekistan, Lavrov said his ministry had received an official U.S. request for a call after Blinken made the statement. Russia's top diplomat said he would be ready once he returns to Moscow and that the timing of the call was being worked out.

Lavrov said he was open to discussing the prisoner exchange, even though the Foreign Ministry hasn't been involved in previous discussions on the issue.

"I will listen to what he has to say," Lavrov added.

Asked about the U.S. offer, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said prisoner swaps were typically negotiated discreetly behind the scenes.

"We know that such issues are discussed without any such release of information," Peskov told reporters during a conference call. "Normally, the public learns about it when the agreements are already implemented."

Blinken's comments marked the first time the U.S. government publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure Griner's release. The Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested at a Moscow airport in mid-February when inspectors found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Her trial on drug charges started in a court outside Moscow this month, and she testified Wednesday that she didn't know how the cartridges ended up in her bag but that she had a doctor's recommendation to use cannabis to treat career-related pain.

The 31-year-old has pleaded guilty but said she had no criminal intent in bringing the cartridges to Russia and packed in haste for her return to play in a Russian basketball league during the WNBA's offseason. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs. Sources have told ESPN that a verdict and sentence are expected by August 5.

Russian arms dealer Bout, who is also known as the "Merchant of Death", was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on charges that he has illegally schemed to sell millions worth of weapons.

Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges in 2020. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.

The United States Department of Justice is usually against prisoner trade, but this might be one of the rare occasions when a trade does happen.Should a call with between Blinken and Lavrov take place, it would be their first conversation since February 15.

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